What If He Didn't Die?

Chapter 9: The first tension

It's weird and even more frustrating how we know something to be true and still cannot make someone else believe it. It's weird how it is so difficult for someone to get into your shoes.

I spent the last week googling ways to retrieve a deleted or hidden voice message from my phone. None of the solutions I found, proved useful in my situation, but I kept looking, having nothing else to do all week.

My parents requested Mr Shawn to let me return to school and promised that I won't be creating another racket any soon.

He agreed.

So here I am, getting ready to spend another day of receiving awkward pity glares from the students of Drakeshire High.

I walk down to have my breakfast like a normal high school girl, a smile plastered on my face. To be honest, I'm not sad, but I'm not very happy at the same time, I guess I'm just surviving the day.

It's been around a week since I received that voice message and sometimes I try to tell myself, that maybe, just maybe, there wasn't any message at all. Maybe, I imagined it all, but every time I do it, my mind shoves a 'NO' at my face. Because deep down I know it was real.

"Hey, look who we have here today."

I look up to find Jack packing a hug with my dad. He shoots me a 'Hi', I smile at him in response and he doesn't bother to check if it was genuine.

"How did you take this wrong turn this morning young man?" Mom asks sarcastically serving him a plate of our fresh salad.

"Mrs Brown, you're embarrassing me now. I just wasn't getting time lately. Trying to give as much time in the business as I can."

"That's really good, I appreciate your determination boy." My dad gives him a light pat on the back. "In fact, I'm always telling Eric to learn-"

"Good morning SON!" Mom interrupts dad in a louder than dad's voice before Eric hears him discussing his complaints with his best friend early morning.

"Hey Bro." Jack hugs Eric wholeheartedly making my dad and mom find pleasure in their bromance, but I notice what they both seemed to not see.

Eric doesn't smile or glow up at his best friend's arrival nor does he reply to the hug, which isn't something that can escape your eyes if you've known them both all your life.

Eric and Jack have been friends since time immemorial and all my life, I've never witnessed Eric give Jack a cold shoulder.

And when I think about it, about anything sad happening around me, I only come to one conclusion. I am the reason behind it all. I am the reason why these people are sad, why they aren't smiling. I am the one, who's made my cheerful brother into a person who doesn't even smile anymore. I've made all their lives what it never was. Pathetic.

Jack's warm smile fades away when Eric frees himself from his hug but instead of being shaken or at least, surprised at his cold behaviour, Jack rather wears an understanding look and a knowing smile, which is not something, Jack Wrasper would do.

But I am glad, at least he is not sad.

"Now that you're here, y'all can go to school together," Mom announces in glee.

"Sure-"

"No-"

Jack and Eric say in unison making everyone on the table stop chewing their food for a second. Jack's face displays evident disappointment, while Eric's wears an unreadable expression.

"It's okay, Eric likes to drive his own car I guess. We'll catch up at school!" Jack shrugs and fakes a smile.

He places a pat on Eric's shoulder while getting off the table who again doesn't even bother to as much as turn to acknowledge his comment. Once was fine, twice is still avoidable but thrice? Mom and Dad had to notice his cold behaviour towards Jack. Although as expected, they share a few questions and answers through their eyes and decide not to say anything.